Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 504

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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504. Goodness! It’s gone up again today.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the United States.
Seated in the spacious, comfortable cabin of a Gulfstream IV private jet waiting at the parking lot for its turn to take off, I was on a call with Landon Shore in New York on my mobile phone.

[Congratulations, sir. As of yesterday’s closing price, Yahoo Japan’s stock has surpassed 60 million yen per share.]
“That’s excellent news.”
[Starting in January when it first broke through 10 million yen per share, the momentum has been extraordinary. Since then, it’s been climbing steeply, and in just the last two days alone, it’s surged by a remarkable 28 million yen.]

I held the phone in my hand, my expression satisfied as I spoke.

“The dot-com boom and the scarcity of circulating stock volume have certainly contributed to this explosive price surge.”
[That must be it. Since it hasn’t gone public yet and is being traded on the over-the-counter market, with only 6,910 shares issued in total.]

Considering that I held half of those—3,455 shares—the number of circulating shares could only shrink further.

“With Yahoo Japan essentially pioneering Japan’s internet search market and holding a dominant first-place position, plus benefiting from the halo effect of American Yahoo, investors have no choice but to focus their attention here.”

Landon laughed on the other end of the line.

[Investors want to buy, but with virtually no circulating shares available for purchase, the price keeps rising. Seeing that, more investors become desperate to buy, driving the stock price into a frenzy.]

At that, I too broke into a grin, flashing my teeth.

“Profit-taking sales may cause a temporary dip, but looking at American Yahoo, the upward trend will continue for quite some time.”
[I share that view, sir.]

Landon’s voice came through the phone with admiration.

[Based on closing prices, your stake in Yahoo Japan is now worth 207.3 billion yen, sir. That’s truly remarkable.]
“This is just the beginning. Why make such a fuss over this much?”

Landon burst into hearty laughter at my characteristically nonchalant attitude.

[Ha ha ha. I should have expected that response.]

Leaning back against the plush seat cushion, I adjusted my grip on the phone in my hand and spoke.

“By the way, since Yahoo Japan has skyrocketed, SoftBank stock—its parent company—must have risen considerably as well.”

Landon Shore answered immediately.

[Of course. While maintaining its upward momentum, it hit the daily limit two days ago, and yesterday it surged 790 yen to reach 19,000 yen.]
“Unlike Yahoo Japan, which trades over-the-counter, SoftBank is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s First Section, and it’s essentially the flagship dot-com stock in Japan. It won’t lose its position as a leading stock until the internet boom subsides.”
[It does appear that SoftBank is reaping the most substantial benefits from the dot-com craze in Japan.]
“That’s inevitable—it holds Yahoo Japan, a portal site, as a subsidiary and serves as the exclusive distributor of Microsoft products in Japan.”
[Thanks to that, the unrealized gains on the SoftBank shares our Japan branch purchased on your orders have been substantial. Porter, the branch director, hasn’t stopped smiling.]
“It’s always gratifying when the Japan branch performs well.”

Seok-won smiled faintly, recalling how Joe Masahiro had reluctantly surrendered a 50% stake in Yahoo Japan when he came seeking him out in the past.

[Ah, and we’ve also concluded negotiations with Mitsubishi and Mitsui to exchange our stake in Block 3 for a fixed supply of substantial quantities of gas over ten years, contingent on successful gas field development in Block 3.]

Seok-won’s eyes gleamed with delight at the news he’d been awaiting.

“That’s excellent news.”

Unlike the delighted Seok-won, Landon Shore smacked his lips slightly.

[We proceeded because it was the deal you wanted, sir, but our Block 3 has far greater estimated reserves and a 50% stake. I can’t help but feel it was unnecessary to exchange it for the Japanese trading companies’ Block 2 stake.]

To anyone’s eyes, it appeared that Eldorado Fund was taking a loss on the transaction.

‘Mitsubishi and Mitsui agreed to the stake exchange because they judged it advantageous for themselves.’

But once full-scale exploration began, they would discover that Block 3 was far more difficult to develop than Block 2, and when the sea froze in winter, ice floes would significantly increase production costs.

‘When that time comes, they’ll regret exchanging the stake and beat their chests in frustration.’

However, Seok-won couldn’t reveal these facts directly, so he offered a plausible excuse instead.

“As I mentioned before, Block 2 has the advantage of being closer to the coast, making development more straightforward. For us, with no experience in resource development, this arrangement is far more favorable in many respects.”
[I see.]

Though the sense of loss lingered, the negotiations were already concluded and couldn’t be reversed now.
So Landon Shore set aside his regrets and acquiesced to Seok-won’s explanation.

“Once the mining rights stake exchange is finalized, we’ll proceed with exploration as quickly as possible.”
[Understood.]

At that moment, Andrea, the stewardess of the new private jet, approached and spoke with a slight bow.

“We’ll be taking off shortly.”

Seok-won gave a small nod while holding his phone.

“Since we’re departing now, let’s continue our conversation after we arrive.”
[Yes. I hope you have a comfortable flight to Seoul.]

After ending the call, Seok-won fastened his seatbelt, and shortly after, the private jet slowly pulled out of the parking lot, then surged powerfully down the runway and soared into the sky.

***

As spring had arrived, people’s clothing had become noticeably lighter, and in front of a securities company branch in Yeouido, many people had been lingering since morning.
More than thirty individual investors, holding economic newspapers in one hand while smoking or with their hands thrust into their pockets, gathered in small groups discussing stocks as they waited for the trading floor doors to open.

“Kim, you must have made some nice profit on the stock you bought yesterday—it surged.”
“Heh heh heh. It closed at the daily limit, so I made a tidy sum.”

Then a man in a jumper standing nearby burst with frustration.

“Damn it! I should have followed your lead.”

While the man in the jumper lamented, the man who had asked first casually threw out a suggestion.

“Since you made a profit, how about you buy us all a coffee?”

The middle-aged man called Kim, with an expression eager to get even a small taste of the gains, answered with a pleased laugh.

“That much is nothing—I can easily afford it.”
“Not from a vending machine, though. The coffee from the café right over there.”
“Sure, why not.”

Kim seemed unbothered, apparently having grown quite flush with cash.
Seeing this, the man who had first spoken put a cigarette to his lips as if his stomach ached, when the man in the jumper suddenly spoke up loudly.

“By the way, did you see Goldbank’s stock price go up again yesterday? It had been stagnant for so long.”
“Yeah, I saw it. If I’d known it would do this, I wouldn’t have sold it last week. I’m kicking myself over it.”

At Kim’s muttering, the man holding a cigarette jutted out his lips.

“But you made some money on something else, didn’t you?”
“Even so, that’s only a 10% return. Goldbank hit the daily limit twice—it’s such a waste.”
“True. Goldbank’s momentum is no joke, right?”

The man answered, exhaling a plume of cigarette smoke at the man in the jumper.

“They’re expanding services—online shopping malls, cyber PC franchises, and what else… travel agencies too. That’s what really set things on fire.”
“Tsk. This won’t do. I need to get back in right now.”
“Kim, come on. It’s already shot up so much. What if you end up holding the bag?”

But the man called Kim had a serious expression on his face.

“Don’t you know that seven or eight out of every ten people on the Trading Floor are talking about Goldbank? When people are this interested, it means the stock price has a good chance of going even higher.”
“That’s right. I think the same way.”

The man in the jumper nodded in agreement.
Hearing the two of them talk, the man hesitated and felt anxious—was he the only one missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? His resolve wavered.
Clang!
Just then, a Securities Company employee came out and raised the metal shutter, opening the branch office doors.

“Come on in, everyone!”
“How will the market be today?”

The retail investors waiting outside surged in like a tidal wave.
The man stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette on the ground and hurried in with the others.
Some stood in front of the large electronic ticker board to check yesterday’s closing prices, while others pulled out order slips from the Trading Floor tables and deftly wrote down the stocks and quantities they wanted to buy or sell.
Then they lined up at the counter, each trying to place their orders as quickly as possible.

“I want to buy 20 million won worth of Goldbank!”
“I’ll take 50 million won of Goldbank at market price!”
“Buy me 600 shares of Millennium Computer right now.”
“The market’s about to open. Process this quickly!”
“I’ll process your orders in sequence. Please wait!”
“Don’t push!”

As impatient investors urged him on relentlessly, the opening bell rang out loudly, and the numbers displayed on the massive ticker board began moving rapidly up and down.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze fixed on the ticker board, and soon sighs and cheers erupted depending on which stocks each person held.

[Goldbank: 20,650 (
+750)]

“Look at that!”
“Unbelievable! It’s up again today.”
“I don’t think it’s going much higher than this.”
“Wow!”
“The surge is no joke.”
“If I’d known, I would’ve sold my house and put it all in there.”
“At this rate, we’re hitting the daily limit again today.”

Goldbank’s stock price soared without restraint, piercing through the 20,000 won resistance level that traders had considered a barrier, leaving retail investors speechless.
After breaking through 20,000 won, rather than losing momentum, buying pressure intensified and the price continued climbing, making retail investors increasingly desperate.

“This isn’t the time to hesitate.”
“Damn it, I should’ve placed my order before the opening!”
“Move aside, please!”

As voices grew louder, the hands scribbling order forms became equally frantic.
Everyone was consumed with greed, desperate to ride the surging Goldbank wave and strike it rich.
With their eyes already glazed over, retail investors threw themselves into the roaring flames like moths, each one placing orders to buy even one more share of Goldbank stock.
Securities company employees moved their hands ceaselessly to process the avalanche of incoming orders, and the counter area was quickly blocked by throngs of people.
The roaring chorus of those pouring in buy orders pierced through the eardrums, and the overheated trading floor churned like a blast furnace, filled with the desires of those dreaming of a windfall.
Fueled by the greed and desires of these investors, Goldbank’s stock price raced forward even more ferociously in the heart of the dot-com frenzy.
Goldbank’s stock price, which had continued its endless ascent, finally achieved the remarkable feat of surpassing 100,000 won per share before April ended.

***

[Goldbank: 100,050 (+1,450)]

Yun Ki-hun muttered with a dazed expression as he watched Goldbank’s stock price displayed on his monitor.

“I thought breaking through 20,000 won was remarkable, but it’s actually surpassed 100,000 won. This is absolutely insane.”

This could only be described as a craze.
Yun Ki-hun recalled when he had suggested that since Goldbank’s stock had risen significantly last time, they should take profits, but Seok-won had insisted they leave it alone, saying the rise had only just begun.

“I’m at a loss for words.”

I knew his investment acumen was formidable, but witnessing such insane returns unfold before my eyes left me speechless with admiration.
What made it even more astounding was that he had thoroughly vetted the investment’s potential beforehand and poured money in well before the company’s public offering.

“They call him the Midas Touch on Wall Street, and it seems that reputation is well-deserved.”

As Yun Ki-hun muttered to himself, he suddenly imagined what would have happened if he had sold the Goldbank shares at 4,500 won per share as he had proposed, and a chill ran down his spine.

“I must have been insane to try selling a 100,000 won stock for a mere 4,500 won.”

Yun Ki-hun repeatedly brushed away the goosebumps rising on his forearms.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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